Zooey Deschanel Thinks "Elf" Is Still Too "Scary" For Her 2 Kids

Zooey Deschanel is the proud mom of two kids, daughter Elsie and son Charlie. Both of Deschanel's children are from her second marriage to film producer Jacob Pechenik; they married in 2015 and separated in 2019. Both Deschanel and Jacob are pretty private about their kids, and when they do post photos of them online, they usually cover up their faces. But Deschanel, who's been in a relationship with "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott since 2019, did open up about her blended family in a June Instagram post for Father's Day. She wrote, "As a mom in a co-parenting family I am just so grateful for the dads in mine and my kids' lives! From Daddy(Jacob), to Bonus Daddy (big-dad jonathan), Papa(Caleb) and Grandpa Jim. We are blessed with amazing father figures."

Scott also opened up about life with Elsie and Charlie in a May interview with "Entertainment Tonight." "The kids' dad is a great dad. We have an amazing relationship there as well," he said. "I love it when the kids draw photos. They draw Mommy and Daddy and Jonathan. It's really sweet."

Ahead, here's what we know about Elsie and Charlie.

Born in July 2015, Elsie Otter Pechenik is the oldest of Deschanel and Jacob's two children and their only daughter. In an October 2015 interview with "Today," Deschanel elaborated on her daughter's unique name pairing. "We just really liked the name Elsie and then we both love otters — they're very sweet and they're also smart. They use tools . . . they hold hands while they sleep, there's so many amazing things about otters. They're wonderful animals," she said.

Since her birth, Elsie has pretty much been kept out of the spotlight as her parents don't share many images of her on social media. Her personality, though, is another story: like many parents, Deschanel seems to enjoy sharing adorable details about her daughter in interviews. In a 2019 People interview, for instance, she revealed that Elsie has already developed her own — sometimes stubborn — sense of fashion.

"She likes to put together outfits and she has very distinct opinions on what she will or will not wear," she said. "It's very sweet to see her say, 'I like this,' or, 'I don't like that,' and express herself in that way." The one thing Elsie apparently hates wearing? Outerwear! "She doesn't ever want to wear jackets," Deschanel added. "So that's hard in the rain and when it gets cold . . . she just will not wear a jacket. Or a sweater, she won't wear a sweater even."

Charlie Wolf Pechenik, born in May 2017, is Deschanel and Jacob's youngest child and only son. Charlie's parents kept up the naming trend, giving him a typical first name and an animal-themed middle name just like his big sister.

Not much is known about Charlie, although he was tangentially involved in a minor mix-up that technically had nothing to do with him. In 2019, "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad named her newborn son Charlie Wolf, leading to accusations of copying Deschanel, since it's not exactly the most common name. Deschanel, for her part, chalked it up to coincidence.

"That was so weird, right? I don't think she knew it," Deschanel commented to Us Weekly that October, although she did add that Charlie Wolf "is a really specific name." Other than that blip, Charlie's young life has been pretty low-key, just like his sister's, and will presumably stay that way until he's old enough to decide if he wants a public persona for himself.

In November 2022, Deschanel did reveal that her kids are still a little young to enjoy her performance in 2003's "Elf." "They still usually only watch animated movies. It was a little scary for them," she told "Access." The "New Girl" star said she knows it's not a "scary" film, but for them, the "suspense of Santa, Santa's sleigh going down," was too much.

She also shared that both of her kids are super creative. "My son likes to make up dinosaur movies all the time and make up songs. My daughter does too, they both kind of like to make up stuff," added Deschanel. But even though she's part of a famous family, the actor said she's not sure either will decide to follow in their mom's footsteps. She explained, "I don't know if it's just like childhood creativity. You know, we'll see."